Our morning started earlier than I would have liked, you (nixie) got up when daddy got up around 5;00 and Forrest was being a bit restless and flailing around struggling to nurse. So after laying in bed for a while we all came downstairs around 6:30. I actually had forgotten it was photo day until after breakfast and just in time for our morning conversation with daddy.

You and I were jarring a bit, and you were doing lots of things you weren't supposed to do (it’s because you didn't get enough sleep, you stayed up way too late to be getting up so early, you always get like this when that’s the case!) and my patience felt a bit thin but luckily it wasn’t very long lived and you and I had a little do-over and all was well after that (well for a little bit!). You wanted to make a bracelet, a rainbow bracelet, (you are rainbow obsessed at the moment, you’re birthday is coming up and all you want is a rainbow scooter, rainbow dresses and rainbow toys!) all week you’ve been wanting to make jewelry and I was really impressed by how good you’ve become at stringing the beads and the amount of patience you show. Everything needs to be in three and you discovered some agate heart beads that I had and you just had to have them too. Forrest woke up while you were still working on it so I took him out of the wrap and propped him up next to you which made him super happy which was great because we could continue our little project. I really had a feeling of how much you’ve grown up this morning, I didn’t even need to help you at all, you were completely absorbed and focused.

You (Forrest) still love to sit in your spot on the couch, especially when you get to lean into your sister. It is so very sweet and it makes her exceptionally happy.  You are just such a little love and we are all so happy you are here. 

We got a message from my friend Sara who was visiting us today that she was an hour early, luckily we had just gotten dressed so we were able to rush out the door and meet her at the station although it didn’t go too smoothly. You had just fallen back asleep and when I put you in the wrap you woke up and was not happy. You continued to scream for at least 10 minutes (although it felt like an eternity!) until you fell back asleep, good thing I’ve finally mastered how to nurse you  while you’re in there. 

You (Nixie) had been so excited all morning to see Sara and sweet little Nuria, it had been way too long since we saw them last and they needed to be introduced to Forrest. On our 10 minute walk to the station it began pouring rain and of course I had no umbrella or raincoat thankfully Forrest was all covered up and I had brought the buggy for you so that we could get there super fast which meant you had a cover over your head too.

After some big reunion hugs in the rain we walked super fast to the shop so I could get some ingredients for dinner.  Already you were in a bit of a mood, you were doing everything in super speed & acting a bit over the top, super giddy and not listening to me even remotely running around all over the place. On our way to Costa you were running in and out of shops, grabbing things (like a postcard which we then went in and bought!) and very full on. Your lack of sleep was really beginning to show itself. We stopped at Costa for a some drinks but didn't stay too long between your energy and Nuria getting bored we decided it was time to head back to our place so that we could relax and catch up. At the time I was oblivious to what was about to come.

It ended up being one of those super stressful experiences. You were not in a happy place. I hate to say this but I was actually pretty shocked by how you were, you completely threw me off!  You were throwing stuff, and not being very nice. Sara had bought Forrest and you a present but you just threw it and almost broke it. You were obviously over-tired and feeling emotionally overwhelmed and struggled with Forrest getting more attention than you, I really struggled to help you through it in the moment. We had gone upstairs to try to give you all the attention so you wouldn’t feel left out but when I asked Sara after a while if she wanted to hold Forrest it made you get all worked up and you wanted to hold him first so I said OK but your anger was still bubbling up and for the first time ever you were a bit too rough with him and when I told you to stop you wouldn’t &  I shouted at you which of course only made things worse and did not diffuse anything and made me feel so incredibly bad. From here things got a bit worse and after more rages that included you almost biting me and getting some good kicks in, I decided to carry you upstairs while Sara held Forrest to try to help you calm down, eventually you did and we were able to go back downstairs and then finally things got a bit better but by this point it was time for them to leave. After they had gone you became really sad and cried in my arms saying to me, “they left because of me didn’t they?” It really broke my heart and I told you no not at all, it was just time for them to leave, I had to explain in detail how Sara’s partner picked them up and that was just the time he had arrived and this seemed to ease your heart a little bit. 

I was left feeling a bit shell shocked and very drained and all I really wanted to do was cry and disintegrate. Forrest had been completely oblivious to all the dramas and was busy smiling away which did lift me up a bit. It was already dinner time but I was too tired to cook so instead we had almond butter and jam sandwiches (which I felt bad about but thought it wasn’t going to kill you). Also the reason for this was that I had promised you that we would take the train that’s around 19:00 to meet daddy and your auntie Helen who was spending the weekend with us in Brockenhurst. Even though I really wasn't in the mood and didn’t think it would go so well I didn’t want you to think you were being punished (I don’t believe in punishment for challenging behavior) so we left the house and had another little adventure. 

We had about a 25 minute wait until they arrived from London and in the meantime you were running around like a crazy person, you were now beyond tired and very giddy but at least you were happy and smiling.  Seeing daddy and Helen come out of the train made you so excited and you ran ahead leading the way to the car even though you had no idea where it was. Just as we reached the car it started to rain and we all hurried inside, it was a bit of a squeeze for all of us to fit, luckily Helen is tiny and could fit in between you and Forrest. I think you loved having her in the back with you. When we got home you wouldn’t let Helen relax for a second before you had to show her all your things and you had so much fun cuddling with her on the bed while I blew it up. You loved the fact that she was going to sleep in your room although you wanted to sleep in there with her and weren't very happy when we said no. After such a crazy day when daddy took you to bed, it didn't go so smoothly and you protested a lot and were so angry about it, me and Helen could hear you downstairs but eventually you calmed down and fell into a peaceful sleep. I wanted to join you but also wanted to catch up with Helen, I managed to stay awake for a little bit longer before I just couldn’t keep my eyes open and changed Forrest one last time before we joined you in bed.